An episode of last year’s Celebrity Big Brother on Roxanne Pallett’s alleged assault was the most complained-about TV show of the decade.

New Ofcom figures revealed the incident, which hit national headlines in August 2018, received more than 25,000 complaints after its broadcast on Channel 5.

In the episode, Carlisle-born Roxanne accused fellow housemate Ryan Thomas of hurting her, which was later confirmed to be untrue.

The incident accounted for about half of all broadcasting complaints in 2018, with 17,000 more than the second most-complained-about matter.

Behind it was an episode of Loose Women on ITV, also from last year, which drew almost 8,000 complaints about an interview with guest Kim Woodburn.

The rest of the list is dominated by reality shows and news programmes.

Tony Close, Ofcom’s director of content standards, said: “People expect particular standards from TV and radio shows. Quite rightly, they feel passionately about programmes and want to have their say.

“Our job is to hear those views and protect the public from harmful and offensive content.

“Overwhelmingly, the most contentious programmes of the 2010s were either reality shows – like Love Island, Big Brother and The X-Factor – or news and current affairs.

“Why is that? One important reason might be the rise of social media over the decade. We know people like to discuss reality shows online.

“And in a time of political change, social media has also shaped increasingly passionate debate around news coverage.

“While the overall volume of complaints we receive about a programme is certainly a good indicator that it needs examining, it’s not necessarily a sign that broadcasting rules have been broken.

“For example, shows with large audiences often generate more complaints because more people are watching. And we don’t need to receive any complaints to step in if a programme breaks our rules.”

Mr Close added: “When we consider complaints, we take into account a range of factors. We think about generally-accepted standards, and what viewers or listeners might expect from a particular programme.

“We examine the context that content was presented in – including the type of programme, the channel it was on and the time of broadcast.

“We look at who was likely to be watching or listening, and how the content was explained to people to help them understand it and decide whether to stay tuned in.

“And importantly, we take into account broadcasters’ freedom of expression – and the rights of audiences to receive a range of ideas and information without unnecessary interference. Often, that means striking a careful balance in our decisions.

“If we find a broadcaster in breach of our rules, we might also provide them with guidance or require them to put things right – for example, by changing their processes or broadcasting a summary of our decision. We can also issue fines.”